FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:   Booch DeMarchi, Lee County Public Resources
                (941) 335-2481 

OLD COURTHOUSE GROUNDS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR SELF TOURS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 13, 2002) – Lee County Government has added to the self-guided tour of its historic Old County Courthouse and grounds by placing identification markers by more than 30 varieties of plants and trees found on the grounds. 

The county enlisted the help of its Extension Services and horticulturalist Stephen Brown to complete the project. 

The Old County Courthouse is located in downtown Fort Myers between Main, Second, Broadway and Monroe streets.  It houses the offices and chambers of the Board of Lee County Commissioners as well as several meeting rooms and state legislative offices.  The Courthouse, and 1.75 acres of surrounding grounds, is the physical and symbolic center of county government in Lee County. 

Some of the most notable landmarks on the grounds are the Live Oak and Resurrection Fern in front of the steps and columns leading to the Courthouse entrance, and the Banyan Tree to its west.  Other items on the grounds include the Lee County Veterans Memorial Plaque, the Lee County Centennial Monument and the 2000 Millennium Time Capsule. 

The grounds offer 15 varieties of trees and 18 different kinds of plants.  The inside of the Courthouse includes the historic Commission Chambers, which was used for the courtroom scenes in the major motion picture “Just Cause.” 

Interested residents and visitors can take the self-guided tour by picking up a tour brochure from any of the Board of County Commissioners’ offices or the receptionist in the Old County Courthouse, 2120 Main Street in downtown Fort Myers. 

A free, hour-long tour with a guide is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday by appointment.  Call 335-2481.  A 70-page history of the Courthouse titled “The Lee County Courthouse Through The Years” also can be purchased for $5 from Lee County Public Resources on the first floor of the attached County Administration Building at 2115 Second Street.